Almería faces a key week to lighten its squad before heading to Marbella. The club wants García Pimienta to work with a smaller group on the Costa del Sol.
The sporting management of Almería has initiated the operation to offload players with an eye on the Marbella stage. The red-and-white club wants to travel to the Costa del Sol with a much more streamlined squad, after the return of several loaned players has raised the number of squad members above thirty. The intention is for the new coach, García Pimienta, to start working with a clearly defined group from day one of the training camp.
Almería does not foresee a revolution through signings. The priority is to lighten the squad to adapt to a more demanding economic scenario, with a lower budget and a tighter salary cap. According to club sources, departures will be the focus this summer, and significant farewells are expected. The club needs to create salary space before making the final moves in the market.
Loaned players first on the discard list
Players returning from loan will be the first to be reviewed by García Pimienta. Some return after gaining minutes and experience at their destinations, while others arrive needing to convince the new coach from day one. Pre-season will be an opportunity to demonstrate they have a place in the project, although competition will be fierce in almost all positions. The coach will have very little time to assess all his players, so the club wants to reduce numbers before heading to the Costa del Sol.
The Marbella stage, scheduled for the coming days, looms as a key date. The idea is to prevent the coach from working with an oversized squad and to ensure decisions about each player's future are already in motion. The sporting management is accelerating negotiations to free up roster spots and reduce costs, aiming for García Pimienta to focus on the sporting aspect from the first training session in Málaga.
Painful decisions in the dressing room
The squad exceeds the needs of the new project, forcing measures to be taken. Not all departures will be straightforward, as they affect players with weight in the dressing room, those who have had prominence in previous campaigns or professionals who still enjoy the affection of the red-and-white fans. The economic and sporting reality pushes the club to make decisions that may be uncomfortable. Almería needs to cut costs, free up roster spots, and build a more balanced group, as explained by the club.
The transfer market remains open, and players' agents are already working to find destinations for the discarded players. While the team returns to the pitch, the sporting management is accelerating negotiations to free up roster spots, reduce costs, and finalize the squad. The goal is for García Pimienta to work as soon as possible with a group as close as possible to the one that will compete throughout the season. The coming days will be frantic in the club's offices, with agents, representatives, and sporting directors sharing the spotlight with training sessions.
For Almería fans, this process of slimming down the squad will mean seeing familiar players leave, but also the opportunity for the team to compete with a more solid and sustainable structure. The concentration in Marbella, a regular feature in the club's summers, will be the setting where the typical eleven for the season begins to take shape. The first pre-season match is scheduled for mid-August, and Almería wants to arrive with everything in order.
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